Archives for 2018

Before hitting the hiking trails this season with my new hiking boots, I needed to break them in first. It was a beautiful and sunshine filled day here in Maine, so we decided to get outside and go down to Farmington. Nothing beats a mild day during the winter with the sun shining. This gave me a chance to break in my new hiking boots and take a few photos. Our first stop on the way to Farmington was taking photos of Clearwater Lake in Industry. While in Farmington, we stopped by the Everyday Music Co., Reny’s Department Store, Twice-Told Tales Book Store and lastly The Farmington Public Library. The streets and sidewalks had piles of fresh snow everywhere. Everyone in town seemed to be in good spirits and enjoying that post snowfall energy you get here in Maine. The following photos are from this great day.

A pair of brand new Ahnu Women’s Montara Hiking Boots in Smokey Brown, purchased from Cabela’s.

The outsoles provide excellent sure-grip traction and slip resistance on different types of surfaces.

The tall height design provides added ankle support

Dovey’s Kitchen on Clearwater Lake in Industry, Maine.

An American flag against a blue sky.

Veterans Monument in the Town of Industry, Maine at Clearwater Lake.

The mountains around Clearwater Lake.

The shore of Clearwater Lake.

An ice fishing house on the lake.

Clearwater Lake on a bright and sunny day.

Rocks in the lake water.

Broadway in Farmington.

Outside of Everyday Music Co. on Broadway.

The Water Bear (or tardigrade) in Downtown Farmington.

Street Art in an alley.

Store fronts on Main Street.

Outside Twice-Told Tales Bookstore on Main Street.

The Twice-Told Tales Bookstore sign.

The counter where all of your questions can be answered by helpful people such as Carol

The Twice-Told Tales Bookstore has a great selection of used books that are in great condition at decent prices.

A close-up of books on shelves.

The bookstore window.

The Twice-Told Tales Bookstore has something for everyone.

A book display inside the store.

A view of Main Street from inside the bookstore.

Franklin County Superior Court in Farmington, Maine.

Main Street in Farmington.

Java Joe’s on Main Street.

“Mainers” a temporary mural installation on the side of Java Joe’s on Church Street.

Tuck’s Ale House on Maine Street.

An upward view of Church Street.

Sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum) in the snow.

An iron fence in the cemetery.

The Center Meeting House Cemetery in Farmington.

An upward view of a sugar maple tree (Acer saccharum).

A view of the Farmington Public Library from Academy Street.

The Farmington Public Library is located on the corner Academy Street and High Street.

The staircase inside the library.

An oculus inside the library.

Paintings in the oculus room.

Oh look, an avid reader!

Iron detail of an arch.

The third floor of the library.

A wooden arch inside the library.

While at the library, I picked up a new library card.

These are the two books I purchased from the Twice-Told Tales Bookstore. These books are a part of a Swedish psychological thriller series by the late Swedish author and journalist, Stieg Larsson. The Millenium series includes, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. The two main characters in the series include, Lisbeth Salander, a young woman who is a world-class computer hacker and Mikael Blomkvist, an investigative journalist and publisher for Millennium magazine. Lisbeth is one of the most incredible characters I have ever come across and these two characters share a very unique chemistry. I really enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I can’t wait to read the next two books.

Here is a side view of me wearing my new boots in the snow.

Here is a view of my new boots with a pair of wool socks I received for Christmas.

Well I made it through the day with my new boots and they are great! No blisters or sore feet and I am ready to hit the trails.

Hairy woodpeckers (Leuconotopicus villosus) have a much longer bill than the Downy Woodpecker, which has a thorn-like bill. Hairy Woodpeckers are black and white. The black wings are checkered with white and the head has two white stripes and a large white patch runs down the center of the black back. Males have a patch of red toward the back of the head. They are a small, but powerful bird that forages along trunks and main branches of large trees. These woodpeckers mainly eat insects as well as fruits, berries and nuts and sometimes tree sap.

American tree sparrows (Spizella arborea) have a rusty cap and grey underparts with a small dark spot on the breast. They have a rusty back with lighter stripes, brown wings with white bars and a slim tail. The face is grey with a rusty line through the eye and their sides have some light brown. Among the sparrows, they have fairly small bills and long, thin tails. The bill is bi-colored with black on the top and yellow below. These sparrows are small birds that fluff out their feathers, making their plump bodies look even bigger. They mainly eat seeds, insects and some berries.

The American robin (Turdus migratorius) is a North American migratory songbird and the largest of the North American thrushes.

The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) has a black cap and “bib” with white sides on the face. Its underparts are white with rusty brown on its sides.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds (Archilochus colubris) are bright emerald or golden-green on the back and crown and have gray-white underparts. The males have a bright iridescent red throat.

Male northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis) are bright red all over, with a reddish bill and black face around the bill. The females are pale brown overall with a warm reddish color in the wings, tail and crest. They have the same black face and red-orange bill as the males.

White-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) are large, full-bodied with a fairly prominent bill, rounded head, long legs and long, narrow tail. These sparrows have white throats and head stripes, bright yellow lores and a gray face and breast.

The anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) are frequently found in swamps and sometimes called Darter, American Darter or Water Turkey for its swimming habits and broad tail. Also, the Anhinga is called Snake-bird for its habit of swimming with just its long head and neck sticking out of the water.

The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is a large passerine bird species of the family (Corvidae), and is a common bird found throughout much of North America. American Crows are black, including their beaks and legs. These bird are very social and sometimes found in flocks in the thousands. These birds are commonly found in fields, open woodlands and forests. They thrive around humans and can be found in agricultural fields, lawns, parking lots, athletic fields, roadsides, towns and city garbage dumps.

The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is the largest of the North American birds in the heron family (Ardeidae), and is commonly found near the shores of open water and in wetlands. Great Blue Herons are blue-gray in color with a black stripe over the eye. These herons also have long legs, a sinuous neck and a thick, daggerlike bill.

Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) can be found in any habitat that has trees or woody shrubs, from forests and woodlots to neighborhoods and parks and sometimes weedy fields and cattail marshes. They also frequently nest in birch or alder trees.

American robins (Turdus migratorius) are gray-brown in color with orange underparts and dark heads. Compared with males, females are duller in color. Females have paler heads that contrast less with a gray back, brown upperparts and less bright underparts.

Maine Huts & Trails is a non-profit organization responsible for creating a system of nature trails and eco-lodges located in the mountain region of Western Maine. The network connects over 80 miles of trails between Route 27 in Carrabassett Valley and Route 201 in West Forks, Maine. Visitors to the area can expect to enjoy activities such as hiking, mountain biking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, fat-bike riding, fishing, paddling and swimming. The following pictures are from a hike up to one of these eco-lodges, called Poplar Hut.